Notes from Guilaine Kinouani's seminar on Imposter Syndrome, November 2019.

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How Imposter Syndrome
affects your organisation

2. Manifestations

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Manifestations
• Self-criticalness
• Closeness avoidance
• Overworking
• Sensitivity to negative feedback
• Easily demoralised (but also suspicious of positive feedback)
• Risk aversion
What does Imposter Syndrome look like?

4. The Risks

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Organisational risks
• Higher risk of overworking and burn out
• Have perfectionist tendencies at work
• Difficulty dealing with and recovering from failure
• Can lack career self-efficacy and direction
• Resist promotion and career advancement
• Intersects with other axes of oppression/identity e.g., race
• Increase risk of stress and mental health related absences
Why understanding Imposter Syndrome matters for leaders?

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Individual risk factors
• External locus of control
• Low self-esteem/confidence
• Adverse life events/experience (internalisation of critical voices)
• Social structures and inequality
• Experience of discrimination/exclusion
• Intersectionality
What pre-disposes us to Imposter Syndrome?

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The costs beyond the organisation
• Poorer physical health
• Poorer psychological or mental health in particular risk of social anxiety
• Resistance to help seeking because shame/fear of exposure
• Relational impact
• Loss of potential
• Self-fulfilling prophecies
How about 'outside' work?

8. How to reduce
Imposter Syndrome

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Resistance strategies
• Awareness raising and de-stigmatisation
• Inclusivity and equality considerations
• Self-compassion/mindfulness
• Formulation
• Simple affirmations
• Building group identity strength
• Get specialists in
What can be done to mitigate Imposter Syndrome?

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If you would like to know more,
please contact Guilaine Kinouani:
gkinouani@pearnkandola.com